Albus Potter and the Seven Golden Snakes
by EldunariAllerion
Summary: this is a story about Harry's son, albus, during his first year at hogwarts, where nothing's really as it seems


Albus Potter and the Seven Golden Snakes

Hogwarts

Albus Severus Potter was sitting on the Hogwarts Express, speeding along on his way to his first year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was thinking hard about the coming year; he had a lot to live up to. His mother, Ginny, had been an excellent student when she had gone to school there. His brother, James, was in trouble a lot, but he got good grades and everybody loved him. But living up to his father's reputation would be the hardest. His father was Harry Potter, the one who defeated Lord Voldemort, the most evil sorcerer of all time.

The train hit a bump, making Albus's glasses jump to the tip of his nose and distracting him. He pushed them back into place in front of vibrant green eyes and brushed a lock of his short, deep red hair back behind his ear. Everyone he knew said that he looked like the spitting image of his grandmother, Lily, but he had never known her. She had died long before he was born. All he had seen of her was old pictures in a photo album his father had, but even looking at her in just that small, moving form, he had to agree with them. Only the many, many freckles on his face showed that he had any Weasley blood in him.

So far on the trip, Albus had been alone in his compartment, reading a copy of _The Quibbler_. He thought that it was only interesting because of how insane it was. It was out of respect for his friend, Luna Lovegood, who was the editor, that his father had even subscribed to the magazine.

He was just starting to read about Luna's latest proof that there were crumple-horned snorkack living abroad when a girl about his age, with vibrant red-orange hair and violet eyes stumbled through the compartment door, quickly shut it, and scrambled into the luggage rack behind his trunk. Moments later, she was followed by three burly Slytherin fifth-years.

"Do you know where my sister, Jenna, is?" said the one in the middle. He was the tallest and looked like he was probably the strongest. He had bright, red-orange hair, like the girl who was hiding in the luggage rack, but his eyes were cold and gray. "She's disappeared and we're looking for her. Mother _told_ her not to go wandering off her first year. She's always getting into trouble." The boy attempted a nonchalant shrug.

Albus didn't believe this, so he answered only with what he knew, not what he suspected. "I have no idea who you're talking about."

"Well, if you see her, tell her we're looking for her," he said, and then he stomped into the corridor, rattling the glass in the door as he slammed it closed.

As soon as they were gone, the girl hopped down from her hiding spot and sat heavily into the seat across from him, gasping for breath. She had obviously been running for a while. Awkwardly, Albus asked, "You're not the one they're looking for, are you?"

"Unfortunately, yes. That was my brother, Erik, and his devoted followers, Sean and Matthew." She paused. "I'm Jenna, by the way. Jennifer Stone."

"I'm Albus."

"Albus what?"

"Albus…" he paused, unsure of what to say next. He didn't want to give her the wrong impression of him right away. But she tapped her foot impatiently, so he decided quickly. "Albus Potter." He glanced hopefully at her, hopping she wouldn't get the wrong idea.

Jenna just laughed. "Your funny, Albus."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"Good, I guess." They sat in silence for a moment. Then they began to talk about all sorts of things. Once things got going, they found out that they both had plenty to talk about. They talked for hours about their life at home, about how Jenna's brother walked like an elephant, what they thought it would be like at Hogwarts and such. Albus carefully avoided talking about his family, changing the subject whenever he felt it leaning that way. Finally, they landed on the subject of school houses.

"So, what house do you want to be in?" Jenna asked.

"Gryffindor." Albus said promptly. This was something he had known forever.

"Why? And please, don't tell me that it's just because the _famous_ Harry Potter was in it."

"Well, um," Albus said, unsure of how to continue. "I want to be in Gryffindor because all of my family have been in it, on both sides, for generations, and I want to prove to them, and to myself, that I'm good enough to join them, but, um, that kind of means that I want to join because Harry Potter was in it." He stopped hopping that was good enough.

Jenna smacked her palm to her forehead in realization. "I forgot, you dad _is_ Harry Potter! You act so normal, not boasting or anything, like I would expect of someone with a parent like that, that it slipped my mind."

"Well, I guess it's because I want to be judged by me and not by what my father did."

"And that's a good thing, but you might want to say it a little more often. Don't want people to forget!"

"I'm not so sure about that," Albus mumbled. Jenna laughed. "So what house do you want to be in?"

"Don't laugh," Jenna said. When Albus just looked at her, she said, "Hufflepuff." She flinched, expecting him to laugh, but when he didn't, she relaxed.

"Why would I laugh at that?" Albus asked. He couldn't think why Hufflepuff would be any different from the other houses, except they would probably be nicer than Slytherins, but that wasn't exactly a bad thing.

Jenna blushed. "My brother made fun of me for it. He thinks Hufflepuffs are a bunch of sissies." Albus just shook his head. He certainly didn't think so.

They sat in silence for a moment, but then a plump old lady trundled by with a cart full of candy. "Anything off the trolley, dears?" She asked.

"Two pumpkin pasties, please," Jenna said promptly. Albus took a little longer to decide. In the end, he bought three licorice wands, two chocolate frogs, and four pumpkin pasties. "Hungry?" Jenna asked, giggling.

"Starved. Breakfast seems like it was days ago." Albus answered as he took a huge bite, almost shoving the entire pumpkin pasty into his mouth at once.

The rest of the ride was spent mostly in silence. When they were done with their sweets, Albus picked up a book and almost literally drove his nose into it. Jenna took out a magazine and was doing the quizzes in it. Much later, she picked up a mirror and fixed her hair for the feast. Albus just shook his head and kept reading. He would never understand girls' fascination with their hair.

Finally, ten minutes before the train was scheduled to arrive in Hogsmead Station, Albus looked up from his book and said, "We'd better change into our robes. We'll be there soon."

Jenna left him to go put her robes on in the compartment that she had her trunk in. Then she dragged the trunk into Albus's compartment and left it on the floor between them.

They spent the last ten or so minutes talking about various random things. They found out that they both had two siblings, one in school and one still too young. They also found out that they both liked flaming pudding, the color green, and reading.

The train pulled into Hogsmead Station. When they got out, they saw a tall man, slightly plump, with short, brunette hair. He was swinging a lantern and calling, "First years, come this way. First years, over here."

"I know him. That's my dad's friend, Neville," Albus said. They followed him to a set of boats. They were small, only able to hold four each, and they didn't have oars. Neville got into one and motioned for the others to follow suit. Two brave new students got into the seats behind Neville and the rest divided into fours and got into the rest of the boats. Jenna and Albus got into the back of one boat behind a girl with long, smooth, platinum-blonde hair and a boy with sleek, slicked-back black hair, who Albus recognized as Scorpio Malfoy, the son of one of the people his father had hated most when he was at school, Draco Malfoy.

Neville lifted his arm and jerked his hand forward. The boats glided across the glossy lake, causing barely a ripple.

"If you look ahead once we get around this bend up here," Neville called over his shoulder, "You'll get your first look at the castle."

As they rounded the corner, the first-years gasped and Neville smiled as he turned to face forward again. The castle was magnificent. The stone walls glowed golden with the light coming from the lamps shining in the hundreds of windows neatly ordered along the many walls, turrets and towers of Hogwarts Castle. James had told Albus all about Hogwarts, but nothing could have prepared him for this.

The boats gently bumped the shore and the students clambered out. Neville lead them up a flight of stairs to the castle doors. He knocked sharply three times and the doors opened by themselves. Many students gasped again. The entrance hall was huge and ominous, with walls so high it seemed they had no end and no ceiling to stop them from going right up to the clouds and beyond.

Voices floated to them from underneath a set of double doors, along with the delicious odors of the feast that was awaiting them. Albus was about to go towards the doors when Neville motioned them into a smaller room off to the side.

When everyone was piled into the room, Neville said, "I am Professor Longbottom, your herbology teacher. Here at Hogwarts, there are four houses that will be like your family throughout your school years. You will win and loose with these houses, as well as go to classes and play on teams with them. The houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin, and when you go into the Great Hall, you will be sorted into the house which is best fit for you. Now, if you will all wait here, I will go and check if they are ready for you." And with that he left, striding through another door.

The room suddenly burst into a low buzz of excited chatter as everyone wondered how they were going to be sorted and what house they might be in. However, the talking suddenly stopped when the door creaked open and Professor Longbottom stepped through. He motioned for them to follow him. "They're ready," he said.

The first years gingerly stepped into the Great Hall, not quite knowing what to expect, and were instantly awed by the sight. The room was golden and glowing from the light of many chandeliers. Four tables were lined up parallel to each other, each filled with older students getting reacquainted with old friends. Perpendicular to these tables was another table, set higher than the others. This was where the teachers sat. In the largest, center chair, sat a woman in her late twenties to early thirties. Albus thought that she looked rather queer, with her overly-large, thick, black spectacles, large jewelry, and baroque hair-do. _This is our headmistress?_ He thought. She looked more like a picture out of his history of magic book.

Then something new caught his eye. Lower down, right in front of the Headmistress, was an old, worn hat perched on a wooden stool.

Albus and the rest of the first years piled into the area between the rugged hat and the rest of the school. All eyes were on the Headmistress.

The headmistress stood up. "Welcome, students, to a new year at Hogwarts. For those of you who are joining us for the first time, I am Professor Demya Isamu, Headmistress here at Hogwarts. Now, before I give out the announcements so we can enjoy our delicious feast, let us first get the new students settled into their houses, shall we?" Professor Isamu smiled and made a wide, sweeping gesture. Professor Longbottom nodded and took out a scroll. Then he paused. He just stood there, as if waiting for something to happen. The entire school seemed on edge. Then, suddenly, the hat in front of them began to sing. It told of the different houses and the traits that each had and about the four founders of Hogwarts. When it was done, the hall broke into thunderous applause. Not knowing quite what to do, the first years hesitantly joined in.

Professor Longbottom raised a hand and the applause slowly died down. He cleared his throat and began, "When I call your name, come sit on the stool and I will put the Sorting Hat on your head, starting with Anderson, Gretchen."

A surly-looking girl stepped up. It looked like the stool would break under her weight; fortunately, she was put into Slytherin before that could happen. One by one, the students were called by Professor Longbottom to go up and put on the Sorting Hat. When he called "Lune, Emalina", the blonde who had been in front of them on the boat walked to the front, put on the Hat, and was quickly put into Ravenclaw. Later, Scorpio was put into Slytherin. Before he knew it, Albus' name was called.

He walked nervously to the front and sat on the stool. Professor Longbottom put the sorting hat on his head. It fell down halfway over his eyes, and would have gone further if not for his glasses being in the way. He wished that it had gone all the way down. With the Hat where it was, Albus could see the eyes of the students, all tuned in on him, waiting for the Hat's call.

The Hat startled Albus when it began to speak to him in his head. "A Potter, are we? That's a very Gryffindor family." Albus relaxed slightly, hopeful. "But is there courage enough in you?"

Albus tensed again. He began to mutter, "Please put me in Gryffindor, please. Please put me in Gryffindor."

The Hat seemed to think about it, and then consented. "GRYFFINDOR!" It shouted. Albus relaxed. When the Hat was removed from his head, he ran to the Gryffindor table to watch the rest of the students get sorted. On his way, he wished Jenna good luck. She smiled nervously. Albus hoped for the best. He knew that if Jenna got Slytherin, like the rest of her family, she would be really depressed.

Finally it came to Jenna's turn. When the Hat was over her head, she squeezed her eyes shut. _I wish I had thought of that!_ Albus thought. There was a dramatic pause as the school waited for the hat's decision. It took so long that Albus was afraid that Jenna wouldn't get into Hufflepuff. The minutes stretched.

Finally, the Hat's "mouth", a tear at its brim, opened. Albus held his breath. Then the hat yelled…


End file.
